Stars so Bright
by Amalgam000
Summary: Christmas story! Set between seasons 8 and 9. With Sam settled in her position at Area 51, it's been a few months since she and Jack have spoken. On impulse, she invites Jack and her former teammates to join her, Cassandra and her brother's family to celebrate the Holidays with her in Nevada. Will Jack go? Hmmm… (S/J romance)
1. Chapter 1

Stars So Bright

Summary: Christmas story! With Sam settled in her position at Area 51, it's been a few months since she and Jack have spoken. On impulse, she invites Jack and her former teammates to join her, Cassandra and her brother's family to celebrate the Holidays with her in Nevada. Will Jack go? Hmmm… ;-)

Author's notes/Timeline: I seem to still be obsessed with the mysterious limbo between seasons 8 and 9, especially the innuendo in the later seasons that Sam and Jack have somehow come to an understanding, so, surprise surprise, this story is set somewhere between seasons 8 and 9, or early season 9. I've taken some liberty as to the timing of the team fishing trip at the end of season 8, so for the purpose of this story it took place towards the end of the summer.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 are the property of MGM et al, no infringement intended. This is for entertainment only!

I hope you enjoy this little Christmas story! I make no apology for the fluffiness therein!

I'm kind of an impatient reader myself, and since this is a relatively short story, I'll post all three chapters today.

Best wishes to all!

 **Chapter 1**

Sam checked her watch: 8:25pm.

She was finally done for the day, and if she hurried and left without anyone stopping her with questions on her way out, she might actually be able to stop by the mall before it closed.

On an impulse during her last conversation with her brother Mark, she had invited him and his family to spend a few days around Christmas with her this year – instead of her visit to San Diego on the years her schedule permitted. Cassandra was also supposed to come and stay with her during the winter break from college – a tradition they had started since Janet's death – so Sam was actually really looking forward to the Holiday season this year. With her routinized schedule at the base, she was actually able to make plans and have a good chance of being able to follow through. But that also meant that she wanted to go shopping for the kids (who were really no longer kids) and maybe get some decorations for her house to prepare for the occasion. Mark had emailed her a list of things Maggie and Jeff had suggested for presents, so that made it easier, but still, she had to get to it sooner rather than later. Maybe she should consider online shopping for the future.

Stretching her neck as she stood from her chair and took off her lab coat, she was about to close her laptop shut, when she spotted a new email in her inbox.

She did a double-take and smiled with surprise at the unexpected "Major General J. O'Neill" that filled the sender line. The subject read "Bored," which turned her surprise into amused curiosity. Given the fact that they had barely talked since her reassignment to the Stargate division of R&D at Area 51, this was thoroughly unexpected, but pleasingly so.

Checking her watch again, she bit her lip as she debated whether she should give in and read it now, or keep it to savor later, when she was in the comfort of her house, and with nothing else on her mind.

After a moment's hesitation, she made up her mind and clicked on the link. She sat back down on the edge of her chair as she started to read.

From: oneil075

To: carte023

Subject: Bored

 _I never thought I'd say this, Carter, but I miss your reports. Yes, your over-detailed, technobabble-filled, mission reports._

 _Seriously. The stuff that comes across my desk these days is just boring, dull, mind-numbing, wearisome, (I could keep going for a while) admin stuff. I miss Daniel's too, every damn one of his was like reading a Goddamn novel. Oh, and Teal'c's. Teal'c's reports were great: succinct, yet eloquent. Like haikus, except with less words. I miss that._

 _I get updates on the Ori situation pretty regularly, which changes things up a bit. But I gotta tell you, even though those "hallowed" crackpots make for a good enough villain, they lack that particular_ je ne sais quoi _that always endeared me to the snakes, and they're definitely not as mock-worthy. Shame._

 _But enough of that. Have you got your Christmas tree yet? I know you usually look forward to this time of the year. I thought I might get one too, this year. Haven't done that in a while._

 _All the best,_

 _J-_

Sam had gone from chuckling to herself to blinking away sudden tears, and by the end of the email she had to swallow hard against the lump in her throat and the painful tug in her chest. God she missed him. But she had decided long ago that it would never be a problem.

Yeah, right.

Her first instinct was to eagerly click 'reply' and ask him why he was still at work at this hour, or reach for the phone and call him right there and then. But then she remembered why she shouldn't. Or at least, not with the kinds of things she urged to tell him: that she missed him (and the others too, but her missing _him_ was different) like crazy, that there were many regrettable decisions that she had made over the last year that she wished she had done differently. Like telling him sooner how she felt, and not wait until she showed up unannounced at his house…only to meet Kerry instead.

That horrible, awkward moment had burned itself into Sam's memories, no matter how many times she tried to push it away. Even though he had later told her that the relationship was over, the sudden appearance of the memory in her mind's eye still felt like an electric shock down her spine and she jumped to her feet, closing her laptop.

She couldn't think about this now, she decided as she packed her things and turned off the lights.

As she made her way through the now familiar corridors of the base, her mind kept going back to his email, though. There was something in his tone – something nostalgic, maybe. He had deftly tried to hide behind his usual sarcasm and humor, but there was a certain loneliness underlining his words. The old battle between her heart's desire to be there for him – _with_ him – and the rational knowledge that it couldn't be, at least not yet, once again resurfaced. It was a decade-old, beaten but all-too-familiar argument that she was seriously getting tired of.

So as much as she wanted to call him just to hear his voice and his sarcasm-filled complaints about his job, it probably wasn't a good idea. Not yet anyway.

And despite the nostalgic undertone of his email, there were some happy emotions too. Or happier, anyway: he was getting into the Holiday spirits, which Sam had never known him to do before, at least not since she'd known him. So that had to mean something good, right? That his life in D.C. had some good parts, that he was moving on from his son's death and the feelings of loss he had associated with the Holiday season?

Annoyed and determined to push her myriad emotions to the back of her mind, she sternly reminded herself to focus – and she was so practiced at this that she succeeded. She made a mental list of things to do to in order get ready to receive her family in a couple of weeks, and things to buy tonight. The mental exercise calmed her a little, and for a little while at least, allowed her to stop thinking.

~~~~ O ~~~~

A few hours later, with her hands filled with bags and keys, Sam pushed open her door with her foot and turned on the light. Her house came to life and Sam took a second to take in the yet-to-be-unpacked boxes scattered across the different spaces as she dropped her bags on her path to the kitchen. She would have to finish unpacking before Cassandra and Mark arrived, she realized with a sigh.

Running those few errands and then stopping at her gym had worked wonders on her mood, and suddenly her earlier feelings and indecision seemed over the top, even childish. There was nothing wrong with giving a call to a friend, right?

Without further analyzing the situation, she fished her phone out of her purse, and pressed the familiar numbers. Hopefully he wouldn't be sleeping yet.

Holding her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she unpacked her groceries, she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach as it rang a couple of times.

"O'Neill."

God it was good to hear the sound of his voice. "Hi, it's…" Sam hesitated, "Carter." She cleared her throat.

There was a pause, and then: "Hello, Carter," he said with exaggerated formality, but she thought she could detect surprise in his voice, too. Clearly he had not expected her to call.

Sam let out a nervous smile. "This isn't a bad time, is it? I didn't wake you?"

"No, in fact your timing is excellent. I've been trying to untangle tree lights I found in one of the boxes I hadn't unpacked yet, and let's just say it's not going well. I could use a break."

Sam couldn't help grinning at the mental image of him sitting with tangled Christmas lights between his hands, the colors creating different shades on his features as he concentrated, cursing at the tiny bulbs as he worked.

"Hey, did you get my email?" he went on, "I sent it-" there was a pause and Sam could just about picture him looking at his watch. "Almost exactly two hours ago."

Sam smiled. "I did."

"So this isn't a coincidence, a melding of two brilliant minds across a vast distance, then?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Hmm. Too bad. That would have been cool."

Sam chuckled softly as her nervousness slowly abated with each of his non-awkward, and just normal Jack O'Neill replies. "Yes, I agree." There was a pause and Sam desperately looked for something to say. "So you made Holiday plans this year?" She asked, hoping this topic to be a relatively safe conversation starter.

"Ah, not really. Well, nothing social I mean. But after I emailed you I went out a got a tree. Does that count?"

"Did you cut it yourself?" Sam replied as she put away the last of her groceries away and moved to the living room, where she dropped on the couch.

"Oh yes. It was dark, so my neighbors haven't noticed that their front yard spruce is missing its head yet. Boy are they in for a surprise in the morning."

"Sir," Sam chuckled, shaking her head.

"No Carter, I did not cut the tree myself. Not a lot of trees available to cut in the District of Columbia. But if I can get up to Minnesota next year, maybe I'll do that. That's what my grandfather used to do when I visited him up there as a kid."

Sam blinked in surprise. "You never told me that."

"What?"

"That your family used to live in that particular area." Suddenly his attachment to the place took on a new meaning.

"Oh. Well. The land my cabin is on was actually my inheritance. My grandparents had a farmhouse not too far from there."

"Ah. Well, it's definitely a beautiful spot, I had a good time when I was there in the summer." Sam kicked herself as this particular comment brought to mind one of their conversations over that weekend that she had hoped to avoid. "But anyway," she quickly went on, hoping to get back to the earlier, lighter mood. "I'll accept getting the tree as a step towards getting in the spirit of the season."

"Oh you know me, I'm all about the season. What about you? Are you going to your brother's this year?"

Relieved that he seemed to want as light a conversation as she did, she smiled. "No, actually they're coming over this time." Before he had a chance to reply, Sam forged on, the words coming out of her mouth before her brain could catch on. "Hey listen, if you don't have any plans, you should come too." She winced – it really hadn't been her intention to invite him when she'd picked up the phone. What the hell was she doing? This kind of went against what they had agreed on. But it was too late to take it back. And maybe deep down she was hoping that his email had meant something more, that maybe, just maybe, the status quo they had agreed on no longer satisfied him. It had never really satisfied _her_.

"Carter, you don't have to do that," was his quiet reply after a heavy silence.

She frowned, and her heart tugged painfully. Had she read him wrong? "Do what?"

"Take pity on me. Look, I know my email was a little… whatever. And I'm sorry I dumped it on you, but I wasn't fishing for an invitation, or anything."

Half relieved that he completely misunderstood her intentions and half annoyed with his propensity for self-deprecating, Sam shook her head, even though he couldn't see it. "I know that. And it's not what I'm doing." Taking a deep breath, she went on. "Look, all I'm saying is that I would love it if you could come. But if you decide not too, I won't read anything into it. Cass will be visiting for her winter break, and I was planning on inviting Daniel and Teal'c too, if that helps."

There was another pause, and she could almost hear his hesitation. "I'll… think about it."

Sam knew that in the Jack O'Neill language that meant 'no,' but she pushed aside her disappointment. "Okay. Well, thank you for writing the email earlier. Full disclosure: I get bored sometimes too, so it was a great distraction."

"Carter, you get bored?! No!" He said, his tone mockingly horrified – clearly he had quickly recovered from his earlier seriousness.

Sam smiled. "Happens to the best of us, sir."

"Apparently."

"Anyway, thanks again for writing. It was… great to hear from you. Really."

"Yeah, you too."

"Good night."

"Good night Sam."

~~~~~ O ~~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

_See chapter 1 for summary and disclaimer…_

 **Chapter 2**

A few days later Jack found himself walking down the familiar corridors of the SGC.

He'd had to come to Colorado to take care of some house business, and had agreed to meet with Hank Landry and get an update on everything directly from the source while he was in town.

As he walked and greeted with a nod the mix of smiles, salutes and widened eyes he met on the way, he was acutely aware of he visitor badge on his chest. It seemed to weigh more than it should. Being back here made him actually long for his oh-so-comfortable BDUs. His dress blues suddenly felt stiff and uncomfortable.

He knew he had some time to kill before his meeting with Landry, so Jack took a couple of turns until he reached the desired room. The door was open, so Jack walked around the corner and stopped when a bearded Daniel appeared in his line of vision, sitting at his computer and reading, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

"Is this a new statue?" Jack asked as he grabbed a humanoid-shaped but alien-looking artifact on the nearest shelf and tentatively weighed it between his hands.

To Jack's disappointment Daniel didn't startle, but his eyes did widen, and he even cracked a quick smile as he looked at Jack over his shoulder.

"No, it's always been there."

"Oh." Jack returned Daniel's half smile at last and entered the office more fully, depositing the statue on a random flat surface as he did. The memories of this room suddenly assaulted his senses - even the smell of the room: a mix of Daniels hair products, books, metal from the furniture and leather brought on a wave of memories. Most of them good.

"What brings you here?" Daniel asked as he extended his hand in greeting.

"Well I have to finalize prepping my house, so-"

"You finally found a tenant, huh?"

"Yeah. But anyway, I thought I'd stop by and check in on things over here. What are you working on?"

Daniel got that look on his face he usually got when he prepared to talk really fast about things that Jack didn't really care about, so he braced himself, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well, I'm just trying to learn more about the doctrine of the Ori, and see how I could use earth's religious history to help in some way… It's a stretch, but maybe it can help."

"Hmm."

They fell silent and Jack looked around the office as he searched for a way to bring up what he really wanted to talk about.

"So why are you here?" Daniel asked, doing a masterful job of looking innocent and uninterested as his eyes returned to his reading material. But Jack wasn't fooled.

"Didn't you just ask me that?"

"No, I mean why are you _here_ , in my office. Not that I'm not happy you stopped by but…"

"Oh, ah, no reason. Do I need one?"

"Of course not. But from past experience, it's usually because of one of two things: either you're bored, or you want to ask me something personal and you don't know how."

Jack made a face. Daniel had always been too damn perceptive for his own good. Sitting down on the stool next to Daniel, Jack sighed. "Well, it's kinda both, actually."

Daniel turned in his seat to fully face Jack once again, in a way that clearly said 'you have my full attention now.' So Jack leaned his elbows forward on his thighs and looked down at his hands.

"Have you talked to Carter recently?" Jack asked, desperately trying to make it sound like this wasn't important.

"Not _recently_ recently. We talked, was it last week? Or the week before? I can't remember."

"Did she happen to mention her Christmas plans at all?"

"She mentioned having Cassandra around, and inviting her brother's family, I think. Why?"

"So you're not…" Jack hesitated, he didn't want to say 'invited' in case he really wasn't. "…going?"

"No. I mean she asked, but I've already made plans to go on a research trip to Chicago. I'm sorry to miss it, though. It would be nice to catch up."

"Oh. Okay."

"Why? Are _you_ going?" Daniel asked, sounding a little surprised that Jack would consider it.

"I'm thinking about it. I just… I'm confused. She invited me, but I can't figure out why."

When Daniel didn't reply right away, Jack looked up, only to find Daniel staring steadfastly at him. "You can't figure out why?" he repeated slowly.

"I mean I have some thoughts, obviously, but…I'm not sure what to make of it."

"Why do you need a reason? Have you considered the possibility that maybe she just misses us and would like your company?"

"But see, that's the thing! After what happened at the cabin, this would kinda break our understanding."

Daniel blinked, and Jack sighed when he realized he'd said too much.

"Okay," Daniel replied slowly, and Jack was impressed that the younger man resisted the urge to ask what happened, but still, now that he'd said so much, he might as well explain.

"Look, nothing happened, I mean nothing… big," Jack explained as Daniel started shaking his head.

"No, no, it's fine, it's ah… it's none of my business, I-"

"No, you should probably know anyway. On the weekend we spent at the cabin this summer? Well, we… had a conversation."

 _A few months earlier_

Jack couldn't sleep.

The rest of the gang had gone to sleep a while back and the cabin was almost eerily silent after having Carter, Teal'c and Daniel bustling around all day. Having them here was fun, and Jack was secretly delighted to see that they all seemed to enjoy themselves as well. Even Carter.

He still couldn't quite believe that he'd finally managed to haul her all the way the cabin after all this time.

And he still couldn't believe the news she had announced as they fished by the pond: she was no longer getting married. The statement, prompted by one of Daniel's innocuous questions about the venue, had silenced them all. Until Daniel had hurriedly mumbled an apology.

Jack had felt her gaze on his face for a moment, but he couldn't quite meet her eyes just then. She had told him of her doubts about her engagement before, and Jack had hoped and feared in equal measure that he was the cause for her doubts, but at that moment he couldn't quite fathom the implications of her broken engagement.

She was no longer getting married. She and Pete had separated.

The relief had been almost unbearable, but then guilt for his selfishness had settled in instead. Finally raising his gaze he'd found her no longer looking at him, but ahead beyond the opposite side of the pond. She'd looked devastated.

Jack had exchanged a quick look with Daniel and Teal'c, who'd looked as uncomfortable as he felt. "I'm sorry, Carter. Really."

She hadn't turned to look at either of them but had shaken her head. "Thank you, but it's not your fault."

Daniel had changed the subject after that, and they'd soon returned to their usual selves.

Now, as he lay on his back in the darkness of his small room, staring at the dark ceiling, the feelings of mixed relief and guilt and hope and fear returned in full force. After turning and tossing for a while, he finally gave up and jumped to his feet. Putting on shoes and a sweater over his t-shirt, he quietly made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge before making his way outside. The lack of light pollution out here had decided Jack long ago to move his telescope from his house to the cabin, and he walked to where he had set it up the night before for his guests. Or rather, for one particular guest. He still hoped that she might make use of it before the weekend was over. For some unexplainable reason, he wanted to share this with her; the stars, the craters of the moon, the luminous dust of the Milky Way. His small telescope was probably nothing like what she could have access to as an astrophysicist, but for Jack there was something wonderful about being able to do it from this place.

A quiet footfall ruffled the grass, and Jack turned to find Carter standing there, as if summoned by his thoughts. His heart rate accelerated to a maddening speed at the sight of her. She was looking at the sky, enveloped in one of the throws he kept in the living room, her expression serious but one of wonder. As if feeling his gaze on her, she met his eyes and shifted on her feet – looking suddenly hesitant.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Jack asked.

She shook her head as she walked closer. "May I?" she asked as she pointed to the telescope that Jack was still working on adjusting on its tripod.

He gestured with a move of his head for her to get closer as he moved to get her a chair from the small shed. "Should be a good night for it."

"No moonlight," they both said at once. She smiled.

"So how are you doing Carter?" Jack asked as he secured her folding chair into the grass next to his. "Really?"

She took a deep breath as she sat and crossed her leg. "How am I?" she asked quietly to no one in particular. "I'm… okay."

"There's been a lot going on recently," he pointed out as he sat next to her in his own chair, watching her as she leaned toward the eyepiece and squinted into the telescope. "Your dad…"

"I miss my him a lot." She gave a soft sigh. "You know, he was often overbearing and demanding, especially when I was growing up, and he would give advice and lessons and sermons when they were the last things I wanted to hear. But I'd give a lot right now for his counsel," she said quietly before pulling away from the telescope.

Jack glanced at her curiously before he took his turn leaning in and adjusted the focus. He really wanted to offer his help or his advice, for little it would be worth, but he didn't want to pry.

"And this whole thing with Pete," she went on quietly, "it hit me harder than I expected."

Jack resolutely kept his eyes on the stars currently in his vision. "You _were_ considering spending your life with him, of course it hit hard."

"I know." She sighed. "The hardest part, though, is knowing how much I hurt him."

Jack pulled back from the eyepiece and grabbed his beer. "That's the risk we humans have to take when we want to let people in, Carter." He knew that oh-too-well, which was why he'd learnt long ago to build a wall around his feelings. It had worked too, until _she_ had appeared in his life and dismantled it one brick at a time until his heart was open to her, there for her taking. He took a sip from his bottle as he watched her watch the stars.

"I know. Doesn't make it any easier."

"No."

"Wow, this is amazing. I really should get my own telescope," she exclaimed in a lighter tone as she leaned back. "Here, I set it up on Venus."

Jack smiled. "Cool."

"So what about you? How is it going with Kerry?" she asked, her tone still light. Forcibly light.

"Oh, ah, it's not."

He saw her glance at him in surprise from the corner of his eye, and he shrugged.

"It's been over for a few weeks now."

"Oh. Sorry. She seemed… nice." Was it his imagination or did she actually grimace as she said the last word?

"It's fine. It wasn't serious or anything."

They were silent for a few moments and Jack leaned back into his chair and looked at the stars. Even without the telescope the lights were amazing, overwhelming by their sheer numbers.

She didn't take her turn at the eyepiece either this time, but remained leaning back in her chair, eyes directed upward.

"I was offered a new position a few days ago," she suddenly admitted, her voice soft and raw.

That was unexpected, and Jack stared at her.

"They want me to run the R&D division of the Stargate program out of Groom Lake."

He shifted in his seat and sat straighter. "Sam, that's great, congratulations! You deserve it."

"Thank you. The thing is though, I don't know if I should take it."

"Why? This is a great career move. Imagine all the doohickeys you'll get to play with."

She smiled, a little sadly. "Lots of reasons. SG-1. Gate travel." She paused as she tightened the throw around her. "You."

Jack's heart skipped a long beat before jumping into a mad pounding against his chest. He had longed to hear words like this from her for years, yet, her timing once again sucked! He shook his head. "Sam-"

She shifted in her seat, turning so she could more fully face him. "Look, if you don't feel anything for me, I'll let it go-"

Jack shook his head urgently. "Carter it's not that. I'm not the most subtle of guys, you must know that I have loved you – irrevocably, hopelessly – for a long time now."

She took in a deep breath, her expression cautiously curious and hopeful – understanding from his tone that there was a 'but'. "So then what is it?" she asked through what sounded like gritted teeth.

Jack sighed – understanding her frustration – staring without seeing at the label on the bottle resting on his thigh. The condensation left a wet circle of water on his sweat pants. "I've actually accepted a promotion of my own – I'm transferring to Homelworld Security next month. I'm moving to D.C. I was planning on telling you all tomorrow."

She flinched back and Jack winced, taking another gulp of beer to wash down the bitter taste in his mouth.

"You're leaving the SGC?" She was incredulous.

"Yes."

She gasped, as if she'd been punched to the stomach. "Is that really what you want?"

"It was yesterday!" he let out defensively. "With everything that's been going on, defeating Anubis, your wedding, it felt like the right thing to do. Now I'm not so sure." He sighed in frustration. "I want a lot of things, Carter –I wanna be able to feel what I feel for you without having to deny it or bury the good emotions so deep that only the bad remain on the surface. I wanna be able to touch your arm or hand without warnings flashing around in my head like the SGC sirens." Unable to hold her gaze, Jack turned his head and took a sip of his beer. "But we both know that, whatever you choose to do with this offer, your place is definitely _not_ in D.C., and until I retire I'm still technically your superior."

She tightened the throw around her again, brows furrowed in displeasure. "So that's it? Nothing's changed?"

"I'm sorry," was all Jack could say, and it felt spectacularly inadequate.

She turned away, and Jack couldn't tell if she was angry or hurt or both.

"What if we came to an understanding?" she suddenly asked as she turned back to look at him, her expression now fiercely determined.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm willing to wait, if you are."

Jack started shaking his head, even though his heart had just backflipped in his chest. "You want us to agree to wait until I retire?" Suddenly the prospect seemed peculiarly enticing, but just the idea of her waiting for him, pining for the likes of him made him nauseous. "I can't ask you to do that."

She smiled humorlessly. "No need to be patronizing, you're not asking."

Annoyed that she wasn't understanding him, that he just wanted what was best for her, that she could do so much better than _him_ , Jack turned to face her. "Sam," he started, but she interrupted him.

"Jack, we've waited this long for the war with the Goa'uld to be over, or for our situation to change. I can wait a few more years."

"You can't be serious?" She deserved so much more than what he could offer!

"I am. Why is it so hard for you to believe that I love you too? That I actually know what I want now and that I'm willing to wait for it?"

Jack closed his mouth in surprise, struck speechless for a moment before he recovered himself. "Because, you could do so much better, Sam. I'm sure that there's a young, dashing scientist at Area 51 who could sweep you off your feet with his mastery of technological jargon. I wouldn't want you to pass up on that chance."

The corner of her mouth quirked up briefly, but her eyes were still serious and determined. "I've already tried dating someone else, and it didn't work. I'm tired of pretending that I'm single when really my heart's been engaged for years. I know now that's never going to change."

Jack swallowed hard. As he lost himself in the glint of her eyes, he could feel his resolve melt away, and suddenly he was overwhelmingly thankful. And hopeful. Unable to quite say the words but still holding her gaze intensely, Jack reached out for her hand and tugged until it was resting on his thigh and he was holding on tightly.

Her bright smile added a tantalizing glint to her eyes as she squeezed his hand in return.

"But if, at any moment, your feelings change, or you change your mind, or you do meet someone else – then I won't stand in your way, okay?"

She shook her head, but then her expression turned teasing. "Just so we're clear, we're not talking another ten years, right?"

Jack pretended to be offended. "Are you saying that your resolve to wait for me has a deadline?"

"Oh yes. Seven years is really the best I can do."

"How about a year?"

Her teasing expression turned genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Jack grinned. "What, now is that too soon for you?"

"No! I'm just surprised, I didn't think _you_ were considering retiring so soon."

"Well, the prospect suddenly became much more appealing."

"So, back to status quo for a year, then?"

"Temporary status quo. In the meantime, no funny business," he warned her teasingly, though Jack knew that unless they avoided seeing each other, that would be really hard to stick to now that he knew how she felt. Well, his transfer to the Pentagon would make _that_ at least a little easier.

Her smile turned into a mysterious grin that sent his blood pumping. "Deal."

And then they went back to the stars.

~~~~ O ~~~~

Daniel sat silently, his expression at once quizzical and distracted as he appeared to be processing the information Jack had given him in the abridged version of the conversation.

"Look, I know this is probably more than you ever wanted to know about this, but-"

"No," Daniel said at last, brows still furrowed. "I'm happy for you guys. I sort of always suspected it would happen eventually, it's just weird to hear _you_ talk about it. Openly. Voluntarily."

"You never said anything."

Daniel shrugged. "No. Well, it was none of my business." He inhaled as he tapped his pen on the desk and straightened in his seat. "Okay, so let me get this straight: you've decided to wait for a year-"

"Well, about six months, now I guess."

"But now she's invited you to spend Christmas with her-"

"All of us, actually."

"…and you're hesitating, because…?"

Jack licked his lips nervously. "See, there was this tacit agreement that we would sort of keep to ourselves in the meantime. And last week – I was thinking about… stuff, about my work, and I emailed her – it was a spur of the moment kind of thing."

"What did the email say?" Daniel interrupted.

"That's not important for the story – it was, I was complaining about my job, mostly."

"Ah. Nothing new there, then."

"I didn't expect anything to come out of it or anything, but then she called and invited me for the Holidays, and I…"

"Got scared?"

Jack stared as he straightened his shoulders, feathers a little ruffled.

Daniel noticed his reaction, but didn't back down. He never had. "Look you came to me for a reason. I don't claim to know anything about your agreement or your feelings, but if life and this job taught me anything is to never take anything, or _anyone_ for granted. And let's face it, there's nothing standing between you _now_! Haven't you ever considered that while she's at Area 51 she's not directly under your chain of command?"

"Well, sure, but, as long as we're both in the Air Force, there's a chance that she might return to the SGC or take an assignment overseen by Homeworld Security and-"

"Oh come on! If you want an excuse you'll have to do better than that! Look, I've known you both long enough to guess that, right now, the only thing standing between you is the obstacles that _you_ , both of you, created!"

Jack opened his mouth to challenge that statement, but Daniel was faster.

"Like… Like, this misguided sense of duty that makes you deny feelings that are good and honest! Or, or fear of finally getting what you want when you don't think yourself deserving." He sighed. "But you are, Jack. You both are."

That was probably what it felt like to be hit with a two-by-four in the face, Jack realized as the he considered the truth of Daniel's words. One thing for sure, the younger man still was too perceptive for his own good – he had definitely put into words some of the uneasiness that Jack had been unable to label or identify. Could his hesitation really be from fear? Fear of upsetting the status quo which – he had to admit – had now become their new comfort zone?

Daniel sighed and closed his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, I actually have great respect and admiration for your sense of duty, and your determination to do what's right. But the truth is, you could be happy now. And since none of us know what the future brings… Why not take the chance now?"

Jack nodded slowly as the words continued to sink in. "Well." He cleared his throat. "I didn't know it, but I think this is exactly what I came here for."

Daniel looked a little surprised that Jack didn't storm out or beat him up or something. "Oh. Good."

"Daniel?" Jack asked as he stood to his feet.

"Yeah?"

"You can do your research in Nevada, right?"

"Wait, what?"

"Change of plans. Teal'c's on Dakara, right? Come on."

~~~~~~ O ~~~~~~


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sam took a step back to admire their handiwork. The multicolor lights were distributed evenly throughout the branches and none of them were burnt out. Perfect. Now on to the ornaments.

"What's the deal with white Christmas?" Cassandra asked as Sam pulled the box of tinsel and ornaments closer to the tree now casting colored light in Sam's living room.

"The movie or the song?"

"What?"

Sam paused to gaze at her incredulously. "Bing Crosby? Rosemary Clooney?"

Cass stared blankly back at her. "I don't know what you're saying."

Sam grinned. "Obviously you're not up to speed with your Christmas movie classics, young lady. I know what we'll be watching tonight."

"Whatever. But what's the deal with having a white Christmas? I've heard so many people mention it over the last few weeks. Why is snow so important? Granted it's fun to make snowpeople, but it seems like the rest of the time people complain about it."

Sam smiled. Sometimes she forgot that the young woman was from another planet. "I don't know Cass. I think it has to do with magic."

"Magic?" she repeated incredulously.

"Not _magic_ magic, but there's something… magical about it. Romantic." Her cell rang from where she'd left it on the table and Sam made her way there as she kept talking. "I don't know how to explain it. Snow implies that it's cold outside, so you want to go inside, have hot coco and gather near the fireplace, you know. It brings people together."

"You don't have a fireplace," Cassy said sassily.

"It's also not snowing," Sam replied with a grin as she flipped her phone open and put it to her ear. Cass made a face that reminded Sam of Janet's expression when she teased her. "Carter."

"Sam," it was Melissa, Mark's wife. "I'm just letting you know, we'll probably be running late, our flight's been delayed, so we probably won't make it for dinner as we planned. I'm hoping we'll still make it tonight, but at this point it's out of our control. I'm sorry!"

Sam nodded. Flights on December 24th were always a little unreliable with all the traffic and sometimes unpredictable weather in parts of the country. She tried to push aside her disappointment. "No that's okay. Just get here safe. We'll have plenty of food for you when you do get here."

"That's very nice of you Samantha. Oh Mark and the kids want to say something, hold on a sec." There were some inaudible mumbling that Sam couldn't make out, and then a chorus of voices shouting "Merry Christmas!" into her ear.

Sam grinned as she put some distance between her ear and the phone. "Merry Christmas to you too. I'll see you all soon, okay?" Sam was touched – even though she didn't see her brother and his kids very often, and had only been in their lives for a few years, they had really warmed up to her over the years. Especially her niece and nephew.

"Sam," it was Melissa again. "We'll keep you posted, okay?"

"Please do. Safe travels."

Sam hung up and sighed. "Well, it looks like it's just going to be the two of us for a little while longer."

Cass gave her a sympathetic look. "Oh, okay. Sorry though, you went to so much trouble with the food and all."

Sam dismissed her concern with her hand. "Thanks, but it's okay, really, they'll just be here later. I'm glad _you're_ here," Sam added as she gave the younger woman a side hug.

Cassy smiled. "Me too. What about the guys? Didn't you invite them too?"

Sam grabbed another ornament from the box and searched for the perfect spot to place it. "I did, but Daniel's off doing research somewhere. And Teal'c's been real busy with the Jaffa. He couldn't schedule in a trip to earth at the moment."

"What about Jack?"

Sam shot her a look, but Cassandra seemed oblivious to the fact that this was a loaded question. He had never actually confirmed or refused her invitation. In fact, they hadn't spoken since that phone call, a couple of weeks ago. Had she pushed it too far? Had she misread the intention behind his email? Apparently. And apparently he was still determined to give her the space he thought she needed (but that she really didn't need).

"Oh, you know him, he's not real big on Christmas. Or socializing for that matter. So when you put the two together…"

Cassy chuckled a little. There was a buzzing sound and Sam realized it came from Cassandra's jeans pocket this time.

"Oh, excuse me for a sec, it's Brian," the young woman said with a grin as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and walked to the next room.

Sam shook her head, but went on with the decorations after turning up the volume on the Christmas music coming from the radio. She was just about to put up one of the few remaining ornaments when she was distracted by the doorbell.

Curious, Sam put down the ornament and walked to the door. Realizing that she had glitter from the ornaments all over her hands and sweater she tried to wipe it away (but only made it worse) before she opened the door. And froze. And then grinned.

Daniel and Teal'c stood on her porch, grinning. The sound of a closing car door echoed from the driveway and Sam looked past Daniel's shoulder. Sure enough, there _he_ was, in a warm jacket and beanie hat, walking up the steps and looking a little sheepish when he met her gaze. But Jack O'Neill's lazy smile and direct eye contact sent her heart racing. He had come! Flushed to find him on her doorstep so unexpectedly, she turned away to call Cassandra as a way to recover her composure.

"Cassy, come look, it's the Three Wise Men!" She grinned, returning her gaze to her friends. "It's so great to see you, but what – I mean I thought you all had plans!"

"Deterred," Teal'c said as he bowed his head. "Indeed, I would not pass an occasion to visit you in your new home Colonel Carter. You have been missed."

"Aw, thanks Teal'c!"

"We're not gonna stay long," Daniel added, as he dove his hands into his jacket pockets, "we just wanted to surprise you. We don't want to impose on your time with your family."

Sam was about to dismiss that as silly when Cassandra beat her to it. "Are you kidding? Of course you're staying!" She all but shrieked as she breezed past Sam and threw her arms around O'Neill. Sam had to admit, she understood the impulse, especially after seeing the joyful grin it provoked as he rocked the young woman back and forth a couple of times. "Right Sam?"

Finally shaking herself out of her surprise, Sam ushered them in. "Yes, of course. You can stay for as long as you want! Mark's family got delayed at the airport, so they're not here yet. We have tons of food, and Cass and I have a date with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney later," Sam explained as she took their jackets and hung them up on the hooks.

"White Christmas?" O'Neill asked with a raised eyebrow as he ruffled his hair, which left it standing in all directions. Sam had the sudden urge to pass her fingers through it.

She turned to Cassandra instead. "See? I'm not crazy."

Cass grinned. "Whatever."

Sam led them to the living room and grinned to herself as Cassy gave them a 'tour' of the small house, chatting away excitedly, Christmas music drifting from the radio. Sam looked around, wondering where she would fit all those people when they wanted to get some sleep. She had already reserved her guest room for her brother and his wife, and the kids were going to be on air mattresses on the floor, and…

Sam was distracted from her musing as she noticed that General O'Neill – _Jack_ – lagged behind as he looked around and stopped to stand by the tree, hands in his pockets. Dressed in cargo pants and a dark sweater, he looked warm and enticing. Sam wondered what had made him change his mind to come after all. Whatever it was though, she was grateful. She had missed him.

He pointed at the box of ornaments, which still had a few left inside. "Did we interrupt your tree-trimming?"

Sam shook herself. "Oh, no, we were just about done. What do you think?" she asked eagerly as she joined him and followed his gaze to the illuminated tree.

He examined their work attentively. "Very nice," he nodded in appreciation. "But I see there's something missing. May I?" he gestured to the star still in the box that Sam usually put on top of the tree.

"Please!"

Smiling to herself at how strange and surprisingly intimate it was to have _him_ help her with her tree, Sam picked the remaining ornaments and took her time placing them while he stood on the step stool. After a while he stepped down and they both looked up at his work. The star was a little crooked, and she bit back a grin. Normally, this was the type of little detail that drove her nuts, but she could fix it later (when he wasn't in the room).

"I'm glad you came," Sam admitted quietly as they stood side by side.

She felt his gaze on her as he turned his head in her direction. "Good. I wasn't sure."

"I mean I didn't think you'd… And the guys, didn't they have plans?"

He gave a small shrug, but Sam noticed how he shifted on his feet and looked over his shoulder to the rest of the group who were returning from their 'tour'. "I guess. It's a funny story, really," he said louder as he glanced at Daniel. "See, I stopped by the SGC last week, and…ran into Daniel."

At this point Daniel, Teal'c and Cassy joined them, and Sam noticed with no small amount of curiosity the look exchanged between Daniel and the gene- _Jack_.

"Right, and we started talking," continued Daniel as he held O'Neill's look for a second, "about our plans and stuff, and, ah…"

"And then Teal'c arrived to update Landry on the Jaffa council," Jack chimed in again, "so we said, 'T, we're going to surprise Carter'."

"Right, and then _he_ said," Daniel continued, turning to Teal'c expectantly.

Teal'c took a second, then gave a slow nod. "Indeed."

"Exactly so! And so here we are," Daniel finished.

Sam looked between the three of them, amused, and greatly suspicious that she seemed to be missing something. "Wow."

"Crazy, I know," Daniel replied as he exchanged another look with Jack before returning to smile at Sam.

"How about something to drink?" Sam suggested.

"Yes!" was the chorused reply.

"Nice try, Cass."

~~~~~ O ~~~~~

A few hours later, after some food and friendly banter, they were all sprawled across Sam's living room as they watched Bing Crosby and the other White Christmas characters open the doors to reveal the snowy landscape outside and performed their final dancing-singing number in front of the Christmas tree.

Sam stretched from her spot as she stopped the DVD, and noticed that Cassandra, who'd sat between her and Jack on the couch, was fast asleep against his shoulder.

"Uh-uh, we have a casualty," Sam whispered as she shifted in her seat and met Jack's gaze.

"More than one, actually," he replied as he gestured toward Daniel, also fast asleep, slouched in the armchair. They both turned to look at Teal'c expectantly, but he was wide-awake.

"I greatly enjoyed this representation, Colonel Carter," he said quietly. "The dancing was most entertaining."

Sam bit back a grin as she exchanged a quick look with Jack. "Glad you liked it, Teal'c. It was actually one of my dad's favorites."

"For some reason that doesn't surprise me," Jack replied as he tried to move from his seat without waking Cassandra.

"I know, my dad wasn't very subtle when it came to his love for the military. I think he related to the characters a lot. Especially when he couldn't make it for Christmas."

"Well, I can relate to _that_ ," Jack replied so quietly that Sam almost didn't hear him. Finally free from Cassandra's weight, he got to his feet and stretched, looking at his watch as he did so.

Sam imitated him: 11:47 pm. Almost Christmas.

Mark's family wasn't here yet, but in one of their later updates had told her to expect them around 1am, so there wasn't cause for worry yet. Sam rose to her feet as well, and started gathering the plates and cups scattered around the living room.

"Ah, Carter?" Jack started quietly. Sam glanced up at him, surprised to find him closer and with an uncertain expression on his face. That open, vulnerable expression, tinged with eagerness, sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. "I, ah… I have something for you. A present, I guess. This seems like it would be a good time for you to open it?"

Sam furrowed her brows in surprise. "What? Sir, you didn't have to-"

He stopped her with a raised hand. "I wanted to." He paused as he looked at her and Sam couldn't do anything but hold his gaze. "Well, aren't you curious?"

Sam grinned. "Very."

He gave a small, almost relieved smile. "Well, come on, then."

He led her to the front door and Sam looked at him quizzically. "Outside?"

"It's in the car. Come on. Teal'c, we'll be back in a few."

Teal'c bowed his head as Sam followed Jack's lead and put on her jacket and shoes.

The night air felt brisk after sitting in the warmth for a while, but it was definitely not freezing cold. Maybe watching White Christmas had been more fitting than Sam had considered. She told Jack as much as she followed him to the car.

"I'm telling you, next year: Northern Minnesota. That'll be the answer to all of our problems. A better chance of snow, cutting your own tree… It would be fun."

Sam smiled as she watched him open the trunk. She couldn't quite help her mind from wandering to the possibility that they would be together by then. Their first Christmas as a real couple… "That sounds really nice, actually."

He threw her a quick grin over his shoulder. "Good."

Sam's eyes widened as he pulled a huge wrapped-up box with a bow on top out of the trunk. He carried it to the porch, then took a step back, inviting her to unwrap it with a hand gesture. The Christmas lights that Sam had put around the front windows seemed to create a bubble of light and warmth around them.

Sam looked up at him. "Wow, I- I don't know what to say."

"Carter, you haven't even opened it yet."

"Right." Sam shook herself and sat on the steps to get better access and Jack imitated her, sitting on the opposite side of the box.

She quickly tore the paper and gasped at the box.

"A telescope!"

"You told me once you wished you had your own," Jack explained as he watched her, the uncertain expression back in his eyes, "so I thought, why not get you one. This model's actually really nice, it's easier to set up so it makes it easier to move and stuff. Anyway, I wanted you to have it. Especially since…"

He stopped himself and Sam looked up at him. "What?"

He shook his head. "It just… seems particularly fitting, you know. It's because of what's out there," he said, as his hand gestured toward the night sky, "that we met. And I'm grateful for that."

Sam's breath caught in her throat and she swallowed with difficulty at his words and the emotions in his eyes. He didn't say so out loud, but Sam had a feeling that it was also associated with the night they had spent watching the stars, when they had revealed their feelings and agreed to wait. Sam reached out a squeezed his arm, wishing that he'd let her do more. "Thank you, this is… thank you. Will you help me set it up?"

"What, right now?"

"Yeah, right now. I think it'll go best in the back," Sam added as she stood and picked up the box. It was lighter than she expected.

"The moon's a little bright tonight, though," Jack said from behind her as they made their way around the house.

"No matter, we can look at the man on the moon, then" she replied, grinning at him over her shoulder. She was delighted when he gave a smile of his own in response.

"You do realize that there isn't an actual man on there, right?"

Sam grinned and when they reached the best spot, she put down the box.

"Flashlights?" Jack suggested and Sam nodded. Even though the gibbous moon reflected some light, it was still too dark to see smaller pieces inside the box.

"I have some in the house. I'll be right back."

Sam had just about turned around when he grabbed her hand gently to stop her. "Sam, hold on for a moment, will you?"

Heart suddenly racing against her chest, she gave in to the light pressure of his hand and turned back to face him. Brows furrowed together, he was looking down at her hand still cradled lightly in his.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you – discuss with you, I guess. And I figure once your brother gets here I might not have another opportunity, so…" Expression serious and pensive, he lifted his gaze and squared his shoulders, as if bracing for something.

"Okay," Sam breathed out, not sure whether to hope or dread the next few minutes.

"Do you remember our last conversation at the cabin?"

Did she remember? Holy Hannah, it was all she could do not to replay that conversation in her head every minute of every day. "Of course I do," she replied, a little offended that he would think she wouldn't.

He gave an almost imperceptible nod in acknowledgment. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, right? To agree to wait, I mean. But now I realize…" He let out a slow exhale. "Sam, I'm sorry."

Sam felt her heart hit her toes at the horrifying thought that he was changing his mind about a possible future.

"I'm sorry that I've been such an idiot," he finished, and Sam gasped in relief – and surprise. He shook his head and cleared his throat. "An archaeologist friend of mine who shall remain nameless recently made me realize something."

Sam smiled a little, but she was so intensely focused on his words and the anticipation of where he seemed to be going that she couldn't quite muster a real smile.

"He reminded me that we're no longer in the same chain of command."

Sam nodded slowly. "Yes, I know."

"You do."

She couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I did happen to notice that I've had a different CO for the last few months."

"No- I mean…"

She grinned and touched his arm apologetically. "I know what you mean. Go on."

"I guess the point that I'm _trying_ to make, is… if that's the case, then, what's really keeping us apart now?"

Sam's eyes widened, surprised by the blunt question. "I don't know, I thought we'd agreed that the situation wasn't ideal given our current assignments, where we live…"

"Isn't that just an excuse?"

"Is it?"

He gave a small shrug but the corners of his lips quirked up. Apparently he found some amusement in her cluelessness about these kinds of things. Or – Sam chose to believe – he found it endearing.

"Daniel says it's a misguided sense of duty. And fear."

"Really," she replied as she considered this. True, she couldn't deny that fear was probably part of the reason she had suggested they wait in the first place. It had given her a safety net to get used to the idea that this could really be happening. He had been her fantasy for so long that she couldn't deny that the real thing had scared her a little. However, she'd never been one to back down from her fears, and truth be told she had been ready for a long time now. Duty or not.

He went on, oblivious to her thoughts. "As hard as it is for me to admit it, there are certainly times when _I'm_ scared – terrified – that I'll screw this up, and end up losing one of the most important friendships of my life. But," he looked up again, his eyes grave and earnest, and held her gaze, "I'm sick of it. And I am sick of putting duty before the life that I want now that my work at the SGC is done."

She took in a deep breath and smiled as she let it out, holding his gaze and taking in the light in his deep brown eyes. She felt her heart fill with warmth. "Me too." She exhaled. "God, me too!" She said as she grabbed hold of both of his jacket sleeves and pulled him to bridge the gap that separated them. In one move one of her hands reached for the back of his neck and before she knew it, her lips were kissing his hungrily. Finally, blissfully. His lips were soft and warm and Sam lost herself in the sensations, breathing him in, savoring the warmth of his skin and the softness of his hair under her fingers.

He responded immediately and his mouth turned more demanding as his arms circled her and he pulled her closer into his embrace, one of his hands reaching up to push her hair away from her face and caress her cheek as he did so. Time seemed to stop as they kissed again and again under the stars, so bright on this Christmas night. Yes, _magical_ was right, even when there was no snow on the ground. For the first time in her life, she realized what that truly meant.

It might have been one minute or one hour before he pulled back to look into her eyes and Sam's heart soared as she saw the happy glint in his and the barely-there smile that curved one corner of his mouth, as if he could only contain half of it. She leaned into him again and rested her forehead against his, smiling as their noses touched and their breaths mingled.

Sam kept expecting him to say something light or funny to deflect the emotions that seemed to be coursing within the length of their silence, but he remained quiet, apparently as profoundly happy as Sam was in this moment.

The sound of a car engine and then car doors being opened and shut burrowed its way into Sam's conscious brain and she pulled back from his embrace as she strained her ear.

"What if she's gone to sleep?" A male voice was asking.

Sam's eyes widened.

"Is that…?" Jack asked quietly, as if he was still reluctant to break the spell they were under.

"Mark!" Sam smiled in response.

"Well, go on, then," he replied, as he dropped his arms slowly.

"Aren't you coming? You're staying, right?"

He smiled with his eyes. "If you want me to."

"I want you to." She looked away briefly before returning her gaze to his face. "We still have some things to talk about. How we're going to do this…" she trailed off.

He nodded. "Yes we do. But that can wait."

Sam smiled her agreement as she squeezed his hand before turning away and making her way to the front of the house.

"Maggie, careful not to drop this, sweetie, it's fragile," Melissa's voice was saying as they rounded the corner.

"Should we ring the bell? Maybe I'll just knock."

"You go ahead Jeff."

Sam walked into the porch light just as her teenage nephew raised his hand to ring the bell, Jack on her heels. She greeted the family and wishes of merry Christmases and introductions were made boisterously. Sam introduced Jack simply as 'Jack – we used to work together' for now, though she did get a curious look from the adults. Sam had expected it – after all it was Mark who had introduced Sam to Pete, another lifetime ago. But with Daniel and Teal'c also present, that would probably postpone the inquiry. As happy as she was with this new development, she wanted to keep it to herself for a little bit longer before sharing it with others.

As the family went inside, Sam lingered behind just long enough to share a look with Jack, her heart full. He was looking at her, and it was all too easy to hold his eyes for a long second. He gave a lazy half-smile.

"Merry Christmas," Sam said softly, with a small shrug.

His smile widened and he nodded. "That it is."

They shared another smile before she preceded him inside.

~~~~ O ~~~~

 _One year later_

The snow crunched beneath his feet as Jack made his way down the snowmobile trail that flanked part of the pond. It was a beautiful winter day – the sun shone bright and even warmed his face as its yellow light reflected on the snow amidst the trees. The cold air felt rejuvenating against his cheeks and into his lungs, and Jack took in a deep breath. It came out as little puffs of steamed air.

"How about this one?"

Jack stopped to look at the tree that Sam was pointing at. It did look nice, but it was way too big for the cabin. "You realize it's supposed to go inside, right?" Jack teased.

"Too big?"

"Not if you want it to go in the gateroom. How about this one?" Jack suggested as he pointed to another one, this one with a more reasonable height.

"Too skinny."

Jack threw her a look and she grinned in response. She walked closer to him and linked her arm through his before her hand lowered to grab his. Their gloves prevented direct skin contact, but Jack squeezed her hand nonetheless as they kept walking.

He still couldn't believe that it was a year almost to this day since Jack had surprised Carter with a visit at her house in Nevada, since their first real kiss. It had been one of the most powerful moments of his life, and definitely one of his happiest Christmases. Hopefully the first of many.

Jack grinned to himself as he recalled the events that had led to the freedom he now had to hold Samantha Carter's hand, as if it belonged there. Despite their avowed feelings for one another that night, and their decision not to wait anymore, they had made sure not to rush things. Over the days following Christmas – after Daniel left for Chicago and Teal'c returned to Dakara – Jack had stuck around with Cassy and Mark's family. Jack had actually appreciated this time with Carter's family – it had reminded him of earlier Christmases when Jack had had his own family to celebrate with. But instead of bringing on the usual sadness associated with such thoughts, this time Jack had felt that he was becoming part of that family too; that Carter, unknowingly, had given him that wonderful present. He had never met Mark before, so he'd made some effort to get to know him during those few days, and soon recognized the Carters' sharp intelligence, curiosity and caring in Mark as well. Carter's niece and nephew warmed up surprisingly quickly to him (though Carter said she wasn't surprised that they liked him) and Jack actually looked forward to seeing them again in a few days, when the family was flying in to celebrate the New Years with them.

As for Cassy, she would always hold a special place in his heart, and Jack had enjoyed being there for her then, and over the following year. She'd been having a rough time since Doc Fraiser's death, so Jack made sure that she knew she could talk or come to him if things got too hard. Carter, of course, was wonderful with her. Jack was looking forward to her presence at the cabin, and hear how her first year of pre-med was going. She would be here any minute now.

But as fun as it had been to feel like he was becoming part of the family, the bustle of having guests around had prevented he and Sam from further discussing some of the issues left to resolve, the most pressing of which was the problem of their respective locations and how they would balance living in different parts of the country until Jack retired. One night as they'd taken a walk around the neighborhood to take a breather from the crowd, they had agreed that they would take turns visiting each other on the weekends, and sometimes meet sort of in the middle (i.e. in Colorado Springs).

It worked remarkably well. Actually, being apart a few days a week had given them just enough room to adjust to their relationship without feeling like it had to be all or nothing. They were both deeply independent individuals, so this arrangement worked perfectly. It made the time they did spend together even more special than it already was. For Jack, it took months before he stopped feeling as if it were a dream, or wondered at his luck that someone like Samantha Carter would care enough for him to go through all the hoops that had been put in their path. It still amazed him sometimes that he was able to hold her, touch her, or even look at her without guilt; that he could wake up next to her in the morning, make her laugh with lame jokes, and miss her terribly but without that painful longing when she was away on missions; that they could kiss and make love without fear of judgment. That freedom had been almost overwhelming at first, but it had made their coming together even more intense and profound.

After a few months of each taking turn flying to D.C., Nevada or Colorado, Carter decided to return to the SGC and give a hand with the Ori situation. At that point, Jack decided to retire as planned – though he remained a civilian consultant for the Pentagon. While Jack missed the protocols of the Air Force, as a civilian he had more authority over his own affairs, and he was able to relocate to Colorado Springs again. He and Sam had been living together since then. The day they moved in into a new house (that was neither his place nor her place, but their place) had felt right, like coming full circle. While it wasn't always easy to share his life even with the woman he loved, especially with their line of work, Jack had never thought he would be this happy again.

The feeling of her hand in his brought him back to the present.

"Oh, here's one, I think!" Sam said as she left his side and walked further into the woods. Jack followed her, smiling at her enthusiasm. She stopped by a fir tree and Jack had to agree, it was the perfect size.

"I think we have a winner," he said as he got the flagging tape from his pocket and tied it to a branch. He'd come back later with his chain saw.

Sam smiled brightly as she shook some of the branches to rid them of snow. At that moment her phone gave a sound and she took off her glove before pulling it out of her pocket.

They started making their way back as she kept her eyes on the screen.

"It's Daniel," she announced as she read her screen. "He and the rest of the SGC crowd are almost here. ETA's about ten minutes."

"Excellent timing. I'll volunteer the guys to help bring this tree back to the cabin."

"We'll all come. I'm sure Vala will be very curious about the whole process," she added, a teasing glint in her eyes.

Jack gave her a sidelong look. "Well, I'll leave the pleasure of answering all of her questions to Daniel." In truth Jack actually liked Vala, but what he liked even more was watching _Daniel_ deal with her. She seemed to have the unique ability to get under his skin and it was thoroughly fun to watch.

"They're bringing Cassy, right?"

"They are."

"Good."

They fell in step when they reached the trail again and they walked quietly for a few minutes. Jack was absorbed in his own thoughts and the small pleasures of being here, in that place he loved, with the woman he loved. While things were not going particularly well in the galaxy with the Ori threat, in this moment at least, Jack was content.

"This was a great idea," Carter said quietly after a moment.

"What was?"

She turned her head to look at him and Jack's heart skipped a beat at the way the lights and shadows of the sunlight illuminated her face and made the hair that escaped from her hat look like fire. God she was beautiful.

"Coming up here for the Holidays."

"Yeah? You sure you don't miss the balmy Nevada weather?"

"Oh no. This is perfect."

Jack smiled as he reached around her to squeeze her shoulder.

"Yeah, in Nevada I wouldn't be able to do this…" In one quick move she stepped out of his embrace, bent down, and before Jack knew it, she had grabbed a handful of snow, pulled the collar of his coat, and dropped it down his back. Jack yelped in surprise as he felt the cold, wet sensation of snow dripping down his back.

Giggling, Carter started running, and once Jack had recovered he lunged after her. "Carter, you're gonna get it! This is war!"

She was a fast runner, but Jack, being even taller, was faster and by the time the cabin came into view she was only a couple of meters ahead of him. The fact that she kept giggling and looking behind her didn't help her case.

He finally caught up with her enough to catch her arm, and he tugged until she was securely tucked into his arms. She was still laughing as she tried to wiggle out of his arms while Jack caught his breath. "Well, Colonel Carter, how shall I punish such treachery?"

She turned in his arms until she was facing him. Her cheeks were pink with the cold and her eyes bright with laughter. "I'm sure you can come up with something," she replied flirtatiously, challengingly.

Jack looked into her eyes, drawn by the glint in them, and bent down-

"Hey you two, your guests are here, get a room!"

They both turned to face the owner of the voice. Cassandra stood just outside of the SUV, grinning, as Daniel, Teal'c, Mitchell and Vala stepped out of the car as well.

Jack didn't let go of Sam, but instead shared a look. She nodded, her smile turning mischievous. As if they'd counted down out loud, they jumped into action together. Bending down they grabbed handfuls of snow and packed it into small balls, and tossed. Jack hit Teal'c on the side of the head while Carter hit Cassy on her jacket. With the advantage of surprise, Jack and Sam were able to toss a couple more rounds before the others reacted: Cassy shrieked and ran to take cover behind the SUV, Mitchell was the first to retaliate, then Teal'c, then Vala. Daniel stood for a moment as he analyzed the situation, before taking cover as well, and tossing snowballs intermittently.

Jack couldn't quite remember the last time he had heard so much laughter in this place, his own included, and his heart swelled with warmth and gratitude that life had given him a second chance.

There was something to be said for the magic of Christmas after all.

The end!

I hope you enjoyed, and best wishes for the season!


End file.
